A reminder to members that Arts Council England (ACE) launched Achieving great art for everyone – a consultation on future priorities for the arts, the results of which will inform a ten-year strategic framework and ACE’s future investment decisions. The consultation represents the first time the Arts Council has brought together all arts forms and development areas into one set of long-term priorities. The consultation is a very important one, to which the NCA will be responding. We invite members to submit comments and evidence to the NCA for inclusion before 2 April. These can be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The consultation outlines five long-term goals that will drive ACE’s development work, inform its funding priorities and strengthen relationships with artists, organisations and audiences. The goals are:

• Talent and artistic excellence are thriving and celebrated
• The arts leadership and workforce are diverse and highly skilled
• More people value and enjoy the arts
• Every child and young person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts
• The arts sector is sustainable, resilient and innovative

The consultation also includes proposals on new, more flexible, funding programmes to help deliver these goals. Championing the arts, Alan Davey, Chief Executive, ACE, states, “the arts have flourished in the last 15 years and there is now a genuine acceptance that they are a part of the fabric of the nation. We want to build on that strength to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to access the very best of the arts and that in ten years’ time the arts will continue to thrive.” ACE has committed to invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery between 2008 and 2011.

A great deal of useful information, including background to the consultation, think pieces, and analyses of research and literature can be found on ACE’s website here.